


Wishing on Our Christmas

by melodiclights



Category: ATEEZ (Band), TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Angst, Attempted Sexual Assault, Choi Soobin Needs a Hug, Choi Soobin is Trying, Choi Soobin-Centric, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Happy Ending, Ho-ho-ho here we go, Not a lot though, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, he really is :(, holiday fic, no beta we die like yeonjun in the txt universe, oh boy do i suck at tagging, these tags are such a mess :D
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:08:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28242915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melodiclights/pseuds/melodiclights
Summary: 'A few minutes later, Soobin's head hit his pillow, tired eyes staring up. He loved his group and everything about it, but-“Sometimes I wish we weren’t idols,” he whispered.'But be careful with your wishes, my friends, because you never know when a spirit is listening in to your musings.(or: Soobin gets thrown into an alternate universe where none of them are idols, but he has to get the group together again on Christmas Eve.)
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu & Choi Soobin, Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Choi Soobin & Choi Yeonjun, Choi Soobin & Everyone, Choi Soobin & Huening Kai, Choi Soobin & Kang Taehyun, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter I

The bass of the song still pounded through his tired body. They were all sitting on the ground, some of them nearly asleep. The music was still on, nobody could be bothered to turn it off. God, Soobin was exhausted. They had had dance practice for a large part of the day and they just didn’t seem to be able to get a hang of it, so they didn’t stop. Except for now, when their bodies quite literally gave up on them out of mind wrecking fatigue.

Yeonjun sat against the mirror, chugging another water bottle. Kai was lying on the floor, Beomgyu next to him. while Taehyun sat down and simply stared at the ground. They’d been practicing for the several performances coming up, including some kind of Winter Fest they’d be attending. Their stage just had to be perfect, but they couldn’t quite get it. The first few hours they’d been enthusiastically dancing and singing, but with every tick of the clock, their cheer ebbed away. 

It was just another week ‘til Christmas, a week they would undoubtedly spend without much time for a break. Soobin just hoped they’d be able to get some time off for them to spend together. Last year’s Christmas was a lot less stressful. He smiles softly at the memory of them going ice skating.

  
  


After a while of sitting and catching their breath, Yeonjun got up to turn off the music. Soobin threw away any empty bottles while the others changed into warmer clothing. Some of the boys were nearly dead on their feet, not even pretending to be somewhat energized. 

The streets were already adorned by Christmas decorations, strings of lights hanging between buildings, Christmas trees in shop’s windows left and right. A layer of white covered the streets, creating an almost perfect view. It looked like something they’d love to take group pictures in. They were just waiting for the car. Everyone was wrapped in big sweaters and coats to protect them from the snow that was slowly falling. In any other situation, Soobin would’ve smiled and marveled at the perfectly white snow, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Neither could anyone else.

The car ride was quiet. Kai had fallen asleep already and the others didn’t seem too far from unconsciousness either. Soobin looked out the car window. The snow was still coming down, lights still flashing through his view. He imagined children would be playing here tomorrow. Or later this morning, actually. He hoped he could be able to make some time for the entire group to have some fun during the winter, but with their draining schedules, it didn’t seem like something he should be too hopeful of.

After they had finally arrived at their dorm, Soobin bid goodnight to the driver while Yeonjun fished out a key. Taehyun somehow managed to carry Hueningkai and Beomgyu walked behind them with his head down. He could hear their heavy breathing, then Yeonjun opening the door and letting the younger few in first. Soobin closed the door behind Yeonjun and him. 

“Goodnight, hyungs,” Taehyun mumbled before walking off to their room with Kai still in his arms. Beomgyu trailed behind him, heading to his own room, whispering something along the same lines. Soobin managed a smile.

“Goodnight, Soobin.” Yeonjun went towards the bathroom down the hallway after kicking off his shoes. He looked more exhausted than the others, like the fatigue sunk into his bones. 

“Yeah. G’night, hyung.” 

  
  


A few minutes later, Sooin’s head hit his pillow, tired eyes staring up.

He loved his group and everything about it, but-

“Sometimes I wish we weren’t idols,” he whispered.

* * *

  
  
  
  


Soobin forced his eyes open with a yawn, stretching his arms out. Sleep had helped a little with breaking away the horrible exhaustion, but Soobin still wasn’t looking forward to another day of rehearsing. He stared at the white ceiling. He was probably the first one up, otherwise he would’ve heard something by now. Usually, it was Taehyun who woke up first and he wasn’t good at keeping quiet in the morning. Soobin considered just going back to sleep for another few minutes, just to wait until Taehyun would be up too. He’d wake him up then anyway.

Or, Soobin realized, he could try to make breakfast for his group. He’d been practically banned from the kitchen, but if he was already up, why not try and do something nice, right?

He kicked off the white bedsheets and pushed himself up. He let his eyes travel to his alarm clock on the bedside table to see the ungodly hour he woke up at, just to see that it was already eight o’clock. Eight? People would’ve been awake at eight, that’s for sure. Well, maybe the others were still very tired from the late-night practice, he reasoned. It’s not that odd, maybe. 

He got up and somehow made his way to the kitchen without running into a wall. He didn’t seem to notice anything else that was remotely unusual until he opened the fridge. It was a lot less full than it used to be. There were not as many energy drinks in there as there were before (Soobin hated them, but Taehyun always made him get them when they were restocking). There was a Tupperware box with what seemed to be leftovers from some tteokbokki and some soda cans, next to the other basic stuff like milk and some fruit. Soobin frowned at the surprisingly little content, but didn’t give it that much thought. He grabbed a carton of eggs and closed the fridge again. He could do eggs, right?

When he turned around to look for a pan, another thing caught his eye. Or well, rather it _didn’t_ . The horrible fruit bowl Yeonjun got a year ago was gone. They never actually used it and no one except for Yeonjun liked it, but it was still there. Well, _was_ , cause it certainly seemed to be missing. 

“What the fuck is happening?” Soobin whispered to himself. He set down the box of eggs and looked into the living room. None of his bandmates were there, as expected, but a load of other things seemed to be missing. Some of Hueningkai’s plushies that he often left on the couch weren’t there, nor was Beomgyu’s bright red sweater that he always refused to clean up. The sweater had been there for almost a week, but it was gone now. Soobin was certain it was still there when they got home last night. There was only one pair of shoes next to the door. Where they usually all kicked off their shoes after a long day, only Soobin’s worn sneakers were there.

Soobin looked around in a frenzy, ‘cause _what the actual fuck_. He started to notice other missing things. The excessive amount of board games, Yeonjun’s ‘missing’ charger (it was always on the table, but he always forgot), the missing coats, Beomgu’s guitar (which he left in the living room way too often). None of Soobin’s things seemed to be gone, though. His keys, shoes, jacket, favorite type of ramen, they were all there. 

“Guys?” he yelled out. He waited for a response, but none came. “Yeonjun?” Maybe they just left early. That’s reasonable, right? Soobin wandered into the hallway leading to their rooms. 

When he went into his own room, in which he woke up too, he now noticed that only his bed was there, Beomgyu’s was missing. So was anything else that could suggest this was two guys’ room. There was just one dresser, one closet, one bed. Soobin kept repeating a chain of inaudible words under his breath, expression furrowed as he stared. 

The next room, which was supposed to be Hueningkai’s and Taehyun’s, was empty of any sign that it was ever a bedroom. It was instead some kind of home office. There were bookshelves pushed against the walls and a large desk by the window. Soobin was so lost, this wasn’t some kind of kidnapping, was it? It was exactly like their dorm, just without any of the other members or any clue that they ever existed.

Soobin rushed out again, pausing in the hallway to lean against the wall. A deep sigh escaped past his lips. He couldn’t even begin to try to understand the enormous mess this was. 

The next door was supposed to lead to Yeonjun’s room. It was a bit smaller than the others’, but Yeonjun was fine with it. Reluctantly, Soobin opened the door. He could feel his heartbeat pounding through his throat, a horrible terror caught in his expression. There was a bed in this one, but nothing else of Yeonjun’s. Not his way too big closet, not his pinboard with pictures. It was just a plain room, nothing special about it. Like a guest room. 

Soobin let himself fall down on the bed. He stared out of the window. The view was exactly the same. They used to hang out in Yeonjun’s room pretty often, usually for the lack of roommates. Whenever Soobin needed a break, he could go to Yeonjun and simply calm down. They’d watch kdrama’s, play games, just talk, anything. But Yeonjun wasn’t here. No one was. _What the hell happened?_ None of his friends were here, nor were their things or any sign of their existence, for that matter. It was the exact same dorm he went to sleep in, however. It felt like he was thrown into a different universe entirely and Soobin had no idea what to do. He couldn’t even consider that they just went out, things wouldn’t have changed this much. 

  
  


Soobin forced himself to stand up. He couldn’t just lay there, he should at least do _something_. Though he had no idea what he should even do. The dorm was quiet. It was never this quiet. There was always someone running around or Kai and Beomgyu playing games. There was always laughter in their dorm. 

He closed the door softly, not that there was anyone to be bothered by the noise. God, how was he already such a mess? He made his way back to the living room with heavy footsteps. He could maybe try calling someone, right? Soobin was pretty certain he saw a phone somewhere. Maybe he had his friends’ numbers? 

Indeed, there was a phone on the counter. It looked like Soobin’s own phone. He was about to pick it up when a voice came from the couch area.

“Hiya, friend.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!!  
> I guess this is the first actually /written/ published work of mine?  
> Thank you for reading! I've had this idea for months now, but my procrastinating ass really only started now ;-;. Updates really won't take very long, since I hope to have this finished pretty soon,, my planning sucks but I will try to make it work :)  
> this is quite a mess oof,,,
> 
> Take care and stay safe :)


	2. Chapter II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy reading :)

December 17, 8:26

“So... you’re a Christmas spirit?”  __

Soobin had sat down on the couch, eyes staring at the young man in disbelief. It must look funny, he thought. One man, with hair as white as snow, a cheeky grin plastered on his face, leaned back against the couch like he was in a theater watching a movie. Meanwhile, Soobin sat on the edge of the couch, like he was afraid of getting comfortable, shocked expression glued to his face. The spirit merely laughed at his shaky voice and patted the boy’s shoulder. 

“We’ve been here for like 15 minutes now, mate,” the white-haired man said. 

He was right. It had been 15 minutes since the spirit started speaking to Soobin. In those 15 minutes, the spirit had explained the situation more than once and was still patient enough to tell Soobin once again. Soobin had thrown a pillow at him when he first heard him, yet the man - could he even call him a man? - had patience. 

When Soobin’s comical expression still didn’t change, the spirit let out a small sigh and leaned forward.

“It’s simple, alright? You made a wish, they heard and honestly thought it was rather foolish, so they made you live it. Now we’re here. You and your friends never became idols, never met each other and you all have your own undoubtedly exciting lives.”

“Who’s they?”

“The committee, of course.” 

If he could’ve been, Soobin was only more confused. He stared at the spirit as if he saw water burn. He was right, though. Soobin did make the wish and now, thinking back, it wasn’t the smartest, but he had been tired and so sick of all the stress. He just wanted for him and his friends to have a remotely normal Christmas, but instead, it got even more hectic. The boy let his head fall into his hands with a groan. He didn’t actually want this. He wanted to be with his friends, again. Damn the universe and whatever weird committee the spirit was talking about. Speaking of the spirit, where did he even-

Where the hell did he go? When Soobin looked up, he only found the couch, an empty space where the spirit was just moments before. 

“Don’t worry, mate, I’m just making tea,” the voice spoke up from the kitchen area, “You seem like you could use it.” 

“Thanks,” Soobin mumbled, turning to look at the spirit in the kitchen. “You’re a Christmas spirit, right? Don’t you guys like, wear hats?”

Said spirit let out a loud laugh and pointed at him with a spoon. “That’s offensive, Soobin! Those are  _ elves _ , we’re not the same. We don’t always wear hats.”

“So you  _ do  _ wear hats?”

The spirit paused, the spoon still pointed at Soobin. He was frowning at him, lips pressed together. Then he simply huffed and let down the spoon.

“Yes. On Christmas.”

Soobin laughed as the spirit gave up in defeat and turned back to making tea. The spirit looked slightly annoyed, but there was still a faint smile playing on his lips as he turned on the kettle. The Christmas spirit looked pretty much like a stereotypical Christmas fairy or something. He had white hair, small snowflakes decorated the corners of his eyes like make-up and he wore a large red sweater with a pair of jeans. The sweater looked a little like Beomgyu’s. Soobin couldn’t help but smile at that, at least the Christmas spirit is nice. 

“Where in this whole mess do you come in?” Soobin asked. He was on the couch on his knees, leaning over the back of it to look into the kitchen. Like this, he almost looked like an excited child.

“Right here. Telling you what happened and whatnot.” The white-haired boy walked back into the living room, carrying two steaming mugs with a warm smile. He actually wasn’t that tall, shorter than Soobin himself for sure. He placed both of the drinks on the table and sat right back down, one knee propped up on the couch and drawn to his chest. For a moment, the spirit just looked at the table and the mugs. Then, like he had some kind of epiphany, his face lit up and he snapped his fingers. A tray of beautifully decorated Christmas cookies appeared on the wooden table and the spirit grinned at the sight.

“Why didn’t you just do that with the tea?” Soobin asked, but he wasn’t provided with an answer. The other simply ignored him and picked up one of the cookies. Soobin, without much doubt, grabbed one too, immediately sinking his teeth into the pastry. 

“Oh, right! I didn’t tell you how to get out of this wish, did I?” The man chuckled when Soobin almost choked on his cookie. “Not that hard either! You simply have to get your friends to be in one room on Christmas Eve. Then the wish will be broken. Call it a Christmas miracle, if you will.”

Soobin looked at him with wide eyes. So there  _ was _ a way for him to get rid of all of this. But how was he supposed to get four people who didn’t know him whatsoever in one room? Soobin didn’t know anything about the guys’ new lives. Maybe they lived in different countries, maybe even different continents. How was he ever supposed to find them? 

The spirit had noticed his blank staring, not unsurprisingly. Soobin felt a warm hand come down onto his shoulder. 

“Believe in the power of Christmas and friendship, mate.”

It was probably the most cliche thing he could’ve said, but still, Soobin returned his kind smile. He could do this. It would all be fine, eventually. He’d find his friends and they’d spend a magical Christmas together, the best they’d ever had. Soobin smiled and picked up his mug. 

“Do you, uh, do you have a name?” Soobin asked.

“Oh! I’m Christopher. Or Bang Chan,” the spirit replied with a laugh. “Most people just call me Chan.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


December 17, 9:32

“Can you tell me something about my life, Chan?”

Chan looked up from the Christmas tree. He had somehow, again with just a snap, summoned a bunch of Christmas decorations. Now a Christmas tree stood in the corner of the living room, where Soobin and the others would put it up too. Theirs was always a bit more personal than this one was, though. They’d hang some of their own ornaments in there, and honestly, it was quite an unorganized mess every year, but it was theirs. Chan’s tree was beautiful. It was decorated just right, with a pretty red theme and a coat of fake snow. A string of lights hung in front of the window, a cozy glow falling on the table in front of it. Chan had also figured out the television and turned on Christmas music. Honestly, it was hilarious to see the spirit in his element like that.

Meanwhile, Chan had convinced Soobin to make breakfast. So he had. Without burning anything down, that is. He had also offered Chan some, but he politely refused while shoving another cookie into his mouth. Soobin sat at the table, eating and watching Chan run around and do the last decorating.

Chan looked at him with a smile, hanging up the last ornament he was carrying.

“Sure! What do you want to know?” He replied as he jumped off the stool he used to reach the top. The spirit made his way to the table to sit across from Soobin. 

“The basics, I guess. Where do I work, what do I do?”

“You’re a photographer for a bunch of different magazines. You also did a shoot for Vogue Korea once! Luckily, you don’t have any shoots planned for the upcoming week. You’re basically on your Christmas break,” Chan said.

It felt so odd to hear Chan talking about him like that. Talking about things he did without any memory of those things. This life’s Soobin is a totally different Soobin. He never thought about being a photographer, he couldn’t remember thinking about it as a child, either. When he was younger he thought about being a chef (he quickly gave up on that, though) or a teacher, but apparently, he became a photographer if he did not go for being an idol. In a different situation, he would’ve laughed about it.

Chan looked at him, dimples flashing. “Anything else?”

“Do I, uh,” Soobin started, “have a lot of friends here?”

“A few, yes. Most of them you aren’t that close with, though. This world’s you was always quite busy.”

Oh. That’s good, right? That would mean he didn’t have to worry about a lot of people missing him if he dove into finding the other members. But still, it sent a shiver down his spine. He could’ve never even imagined a life without his members, but apparently, if he didn’t have them, he wouldn’t have a lot of other friends either. Soobin realized just how grateful he was for his group. But, you only realize how much something means to you when it’s gone.

“Thanks, Chan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes i did make bang chan the Christmas spirit  
> I'm here for the chansoob bromance man,,,,
> 
> Thank you for reading! Kudos & comments are always appreciated :) <3  
> take care of yourself and stay safe!


	3. Chapter III

December 17, 12:04

The snow crunched under his boots. Soobin hugged his coat around him tighter and looked over at Chan. Chan was watching some kids play with the snow in the park, a big grin evident on his face. Soobin noticed that seeing all the people in a Christmas mood cheered Chan up, which wasn’t really that odd. He was a Christmas spirit, after all. Like how he had hung the Christmas decorations in Soobin’s apartment, without Soobin even mentioning or asking. And the Christmas music. And now watching the happy kids in the snow. Chan seemed to enjoy it all quite a bit. Maybe that’s why he suggested they go out.

Soobin let out a small sigh. It was freezing and he was pretty certain the snowfall was going to be unbearable later today, but for now he kept going. He had to get groceries since non-idol Soobin apparently left his fridge almost empty. Asshole.

Soobin turned his head to look at Chan and ask him if-

and he was gone again. 

He looked around frantically, eyes hastily searching the streets, but Chan was nowhere to be found. Another shiver rocked through Soobin's body. He saw way too many people on the streets, but the boy with the snow-white hair wasn't among them. Soobin felt like a parent who lost their child. Oh god, he lost his child. 

He turned to the park, watching a child throw snowballs at their parents. His eyes slid over to a group of kids on the edge of the park, and that was when he finally spotted his Christmas spirit. 

Chan stood by a big snowman, about his own size. Around it stood a group of 5 kids, who were still gathering snow. Chan stood next to the snow statue, watching the kids gather more snow with a smile on his face. Soobin's shoulders relaxed, his hands dropping down to his side again. He set a few steps towards the area, but Chan already noticed him and started waving at him. Chan jogged over back to his side, seemingly not bothered by leaving the kids. 

"Can't they see you?" Soobin asked, frowning at the boy. 

"Oh, nope. Only you can see me. Like I'm your shinigami," Chan replied. He had already started walking towards the town already, leaving Soobin standing there for a moment. 

"Anime references? How do you know stuff like that?" 

Chan didn't bother to answer him, instead quickening his pace and going towards the more busy center of the town. People were hurrying through the shops, probably going around getting Christmas presents. Chan was looking around in awe next to Soobin. The streets were still wildly decorated for Christmas. Snow on the rooftops, lights hung in front of windows and even the odd Christmas tree set up in front of some shops. A smile grew on Soobin’s face as he watched a family with kids laugh.

  
  


Towards the end of the street he was on, he spotted two boys decorating the front of the building. After checking to see if Chan was still next to him - Soobin was afraid he’d run somewhere out of excitement again, honestly - he headed towards the shop. He still lived in the same dorm and city as before the switch. Everything was still the same, he supposed. Soobin remembered where the convenience store was, where the good restaurants were, where his favorite florist was. But he couldn’t remember this shop. Well, he knew it had been there, but it was always a bakery (which he visited maybe one too many times in his free time). However, the two boys were decorating a cafe lunchroom, not the bakery.

So that had changed?  _ Why would that change, what does it have to do with us?  _ Soobin frowned at the sight, feet planted a few feet away from the front door. Well, he did go out to eat lunch or whatever. He might as well investigate while he was at it.

Soobin set a hand on the doorknob and turned hesitantly, the door opening with a groan. The boys in front hadn’t noticed him, they were too busy bickering. Soobin stepped inside and looked around the cozy cafe. It wasn’t too busy, just a few tables were occupied. BTS music was flowing through the room. While Soobin was looking around, he hadn’t noticed a boy come up to him.

“Hi! Welcome,” the boy (San, according to his nametag) said, “a table for one?”

“Yes, please.” Then it dawned on him. He  _ knew  _ San. He was a member of ATEEZ. They had met a few times when Yeonjun made everyone hang out. San’s hair was pink now, though. And he probably wasn’t a kpop idol.  _ But why wouldn’t San be in ATEEZ if TXT never existed?  _

Soobin realized he must have been staring when San spoke again. He smiled and nodded, following San to a table to the side. The whole shop smelled like coffee and buttery pastries, it was cozy and unbelievably familiar. After Soobin had sat down, Chan trailing after him, San placed a menu on the table and smiled.

“Take your time, just signal me when you’re ready to order.”

Bangchan took a spot across from Soobin, facing the window. He seemed oddly happy. Well, Chan hadn’t really been not happy during all the time he was with Soobin, but he seemed almost  _ satisfied _ now. Soobin wasn’t sure if he should ask or not. Instead, he just frowned at Chan and turned to the menu. 

  
  
  
  


* * *

December 17, 16:39

Soobin let his head drop into his hands on the desk. After getting food at the lunchroom, which was apparently owned by the eldest of ATEEZ, while more than half of them worked there, he’d gotten groceries for dinner and headed home. In the first place, he wasn’t even going to go grocery shopping, but Chan had convinced him. He should at least take care of himself. Considering he hadn’t eaten an actual home cooked meal in weeks, Chan’s concerns were kind of justified.

The time he had spent in the city, he hadn’t noticed a lot of other changes. Except for the ATEEZ cafe. They were all kind people and Soobin was glad to see some familiar faces, but he still didn’t understand why they were there. And why Chan looked so smug the entire time. Soobin felt like he was going to break every second he was there. It just solidified the idea that things were so different and so goddamn complicated. His members, his  _ friends _ , were gone and his chance of getting them back was small. Even if he did manage to find them, how could he convince them to spend Christmas Eve with him? He wanted so bad for them to be here. He would even agree to watching shitty Christmas movies if it’d make them happy.

  
  


Soobin was pulled out of his antagonizing thoughts by a mug being placed next to his head. A wary confusion shone in his eyes as he looked up, but found no one. He frowned. How did Chan do that? Soobin shook his head, looking back to the mug. It was hot chocolate, fully adorned with whipped cream, marshmallows and a candy cane. Chan really did go all in with the Christmas stuff. A small smile crept on Soobin’s face. He should at least try, right?

With that, Soobin started up the computer and grabbed a notebook. He picked up the mug and the heat sent shocks through his fingers. Soobin took a sip before finally getting to work.

  
  
  
  


* * *

December 17, 18:41

Well, that semi-positive attitude he had going on was pretty quickly broken into pieces.

Soobin had started with the eldest, Yeonjun. After looking up  _ Choi Yeonjun _ , he had found a bunch of social media accounts and even a fictional character, which was honestly getting in the way of his search. He spent about an hour going through several Facebook pages and Instagram accounts, even the odd few Twitter accounts, but not finding  _ his  _ Yeonjun. He was about to give up when he stumbled on the website of a dance studio on the other side of Seoul. He didn’t think much of it when he clicked on it, but just moments later his eyes lit up. The website had some profiles on it from people who were on their staff. Soobin scrolled through them until he saw the category dance instructors. There was his name. Choi Yeonjun. Soobin might have just brushed it off as another person with the apparently awfully common name, but then saw some more information beneath the name. There wasn’t a picture, but there were a few other things.

He didn’t even know why the dance school would provide this information, but underneath Yeonjun’s name stood an education and date of birth. He was pretty certain the school was the exact same one Yonjun had gone to and talked about. The date of birth was also a match: September 13, 1999. A bark of laughter came from Soobin, who almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He grinned at the bright screen and his eyes practically sparkled. So that meant Yeonjun worked in Seoul and maybe lived there too. Soobin had at least found him.

He might even be able to visit the dance studio the next day, try to somewhat befriend Yeonjun. Soobin went back to the main page so he could write down the address and-

Oh no.

Soobin wasn’t sure if he was going to laugh or cry. He felt like he might throw up if he tried either. Or scream.

The dance studio was closed. Not just  _ now _ , it was closed until after Christmas. Winter break. So that means the chance he thought he had of finding Yeonjun was gone. Soobin didn’t and couldn’t know where Yeonjun lived and it seemed quite impossible to find out. He couldn’t find any social media account either. Tears blurred his vision. 

  
  
  


* * *

December 17, 19:00

There was faint knocking on the door, but the boy inside barely noticed, and if he did, he ignored it. A moment later, the door opened.

“Soobin?” Chan’s soft voice called from the door opening. Soobin didn’t answer. He was lying face-down on the desk, seemingly asleep. Chan padded over and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. After a small shake, Soobin shot up, his eyes glazed over and hair messy.

“Huh, what? Shit- what time is it?”

“I waited until seven to come and get you. I made dinner,” Chan replied, waiting for Soobin to get up from the chair. “I don’t even know if I’m allowed to help you like that, but well.” He shrugged and patted Soobin’s shoulder.

“Who wouldn’t allow you?” Soobin got up, closing the notebook on the desk with a sigh. Chan didn’t answer him, just rolled his eyes and gently shoved Soobin towards the hallway. 

  
  
  


Some time later, they sat together on the couch, watching some show they weren’t really interested in. Chan had made a surprisingly well soft tofu stew. The scene would’ve been oddly domestic, if not for the fact that it was one boy who was looking for his family and a Christmas spirit. That’s an interesting story for your grandchildren, surely. 

Soobin kept yawning in between bites, his eyes somewhat drooping, too. 

“I think you should go to sleep after dinner,” Chan commented after finishing his own plate. Soobin hadn’t really figured out if Chan actually needed food or if he was just eating for the fun of it. 

Soobin frowned at him - or glared, it was hard to tell. “I have too much to do! I can’t just go to sleep!”

“You’re not going to be very productive if you keep dozing off. You’ll just miss things you should’ve seen.”

The younger huffed like a scolded child. He almost  _ felt _ like a child. After some more useless quarreling, Soobin gave in. If he went to sleep early, he might be able to get up earlier to look further.

  
  


Chan assured him that he would take care of the dishes and sent Soobin to his room instead. Soobin saw no use in arguing, he just sighed and turned away, muttering a goodnight under his breath. 

The bathroom was a lot less full. The endless amount of colorful bath products Yeonjun bought weren’t there anymore, he noted. Soobin quietly brushed his teeth before heading to his bedroom. He was terrified of having lost his friends forever, without even a chance to say goodbye. If he could, he would’ve wished none of this had ever happened. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hullo! I hope you guys had nice holidays!   
> my blue hour album came and it's been on almost all day- what's your favourite track?? :)  
> thank you for reading, stay safe and take care of yourself <3


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